


A Silent Prayer

by Petri808



Series: Fairytail AU Short Stories & One Shots [7]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fukushima prefecture, Love, Modern AU, Spanish, Travel, set in Japan, shrine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-23 22:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19160044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petri808/pseuds/Petri808
Summary: Set in the modern world. It was a chance that Lucy couldn't pass up, a free trip by the Fukushima government!  The whole experience was put together to help descendants of the Fukushima Prefecture to learn more about their roots.  9 of them including her from Los Angeles, Hawaii, New York, Peru, Argentina, Dominican Republic, and Brazil fly up and spend 10 days in Japan!  What she hadn't expected was to fall in love...Written for the Around the World With Nalu, week 2 prompt- Asia on Tumblr @fortheloveofnaluevents





	A Silent Prayer

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus if you find my post on Tumblr, you'll find a picture of the shrine and the exact spot at the shrine featured in this story :)

From the moment their eyes locked onto each other in the lobby of the Ueno Terminal Hotel, Lucy and Natsu felt a strange pull in the pit of their stomachs.  It was only their first night in Tokyo for the Fukushima Kenjin Kai Youths Program and already they could feel the pressure circling the air. Only 10 days they would be able to share this trip together until she would return to Los Angeles, United States and he to Lima, Peru.  But who could have foreseen such a meeting would trigger such emotions?

Each day was a blast for them and the other 7 participants, travelling first in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Asakusa.  Then riding the train to the Fukushima Prefecture where the bulk of their trip would take place.  Aside from meeting the Vice governor and some of the more educational aspects of the program, they got to see the beauty of Fukushima’s winter.  From playing on the slopes near Mount Bandai in Aizuwakamatsu, touring a sake brewery and Tsurugajo Castle, to decorating their own lacquerware, each day was better than the last.

It had been amazing for Lucy to watch Natsu on the slopes with a snowboard!  She was just a novice skier, but he seemed like a pro cutting through the white fluff.  Their new found friends left them alone most of the time once they’d noticed the burgeoning fireworks between them. 

“Shall we go again?” Natsu shouldered his board before extending his hand to her.

Lucy blushed and took his hand with a nod, then let him lead her back to the ski lift. 

Natsu’s broken English was easily understood by her, and she’d been thankful for paying attention in Spanish class.  Lucy couldn’t speak it well, but she could understand some of it.  He was always patient with her, and some evenings after dinner when they had time to relax, Natsu would teach her more.  His warm smile and positive attitude made her want to learn more.  If only they’d have more time.

On their final night at the Yumoto Onsen Shintsuta hotel in Iwaki, Lucy kept up appearances through the group dinner, laughing and smiling like nothing was wrong.  As the others discussed how to spend the rest of the evening, she feigned being tired instead.  It was hitting her harder than she was willing to admit that by tomorrow this time, she and Natsu would be on separate planes heading back home.  So, all she could do was fake it and hide the brewing tears.

But, Natsu could sense that something was wrong.  He approached her as she left the banquet room.

“Camina conmigo,” Natsu holds out his hand.  “Eh, walk with me Lucy, let us see the shrine nearby.”

Lucy looks at the gesture with a pained expression.  As much as her heart leapt at the offer, her mind held back.  They were getting too close, too quickly and the thought of never seeing him again was painful.  Sure, they could keep in touch, having already traded social media accounts but it wasn’t going to be the same.  After tomorrow she’d never feel the warmth of his hand or see his smile in the flesh again. 

“Natsu, I…” tears well up in her eyes, “I don’t know if that would be a good idea.”

“Why not?  We just go see the shrine.”  Natsu refuses to let her stay in a stupor and takes her hand anyways. 

She doesn’t resist and after they stop at their rooms for jackets, allows him to lead her out of the hotel. 

The Yumato Onsen-jina shrine was only a 5-minute walk from the hotel.  It was closed for the evening but still accessible and besides, sightseeing wasn’t the whole intention.  When they reach the bottom gate, Natsu stops walking.  He looks up at the massive stone tori.  “Tis’ beautiful, no?” 

“Yes,” Lucy sighs with a weak smile.  She lets go of his hand and walks over to a rock water fountain with words on it. You couldn’t read much of it due to the high sulfur content of the heated water, but the sound of the trickling was a nice distraction.

Natsu frowns.  He hated seeing her so sad, but he could figure out her reasons without asking for he too felt the sting.  It was like a cruel joke to put two people together in a situation like this and not expect painful consequences.  Holding her hand had been the farthest he’d allowed himself to touch her because of that reason, but it was clear she needed more.

He walks up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist.  Lucy gasps lightly from the sudden and unexpected intrusion.  Natsu buries his face in the crook of her neck, just letting it rest there.  No words just the sounds of water between them. 

Silent tears flow down her cheeks.  Why did he have to do that!  Why! But those words stayed locked away. As much as it pained her, Lucy didn’t want him to stop.  It felt perfect trapped within Natsu’s arms, almost magical beneath such a sacred gate.  She closes her eyes and sends out a silent prayer to the Kami of this shrine.

“Yo creo que mi estoy enamorando de ti Tambien.”

Lucy’s eyes flash open. Did she hear that correctly?  She was pretty sure he said falling for her but maybe she translated it wrong. 

“I wish we not need go home tomorrow cause I like you.”

She turns around in a burst of anger beating on his chest.  “Why!”  Lucy’s tears return to torrents of salty brine along her cheeks.  “Why’d you have to say that!”  Her hits had no real power behind them, she just needed to let her emotions fly free.  As if this wasn’t hard enough to deal with, to verbalize it only drove the dagger deeper into her heart. 

Natsu let Lucy flail for a minute seeing it best she let go over her anger.  All the while he kept his arms encircled around her waist so she couldn’t run away. 

“Why…” her head finally drops against his chest and her arms bent at the elbows rested where they landed. 

“Because it true.”  He tilts her face up, “this not the end yet,” then kisses her forehead, “we will see each other again, I promise.”

Lucy sniffles, “y-you shouldn’t promise such things when we live in different countries…”

He chuckles, “I have idea. I still need to choose college and maybe Los Angeles be good for me.  Eh, maybe you can help me choose one, yes?”

A golden sparkle returns to Lucy’s eyes.  She smiles, “Yes, yes!  I can help you with that!”

“See,” Natsu chuckles again and hugs her tight, “not the end.”

As they walk away from the shrine hand in hand, Lucy utters another silent prayer to the Gods.  _‘Thank you…’_


End file.
